Camp Cooking Wishlist

Cooking over an fire is probably the thing I like most about camping. Over the years I’ve tried a number of tools and techniques – here’s some of my current favorites –

You can send a wishlist from this post too! You’ll find it after the descriptions below.

Winco Pot Gripper

I’ve used many different kinds of pliers to mange hot cooking pots and pans on a fire, but I think these may be the best I’ve found. Made for handling pizza pans they are designed for constant use in a commercial environment, so they ought to last a lifetime. The most important feature, though, is that there’s a spring that keeps the pliers open allowing you to use them one handed – something no other pot pliers I have used have. (look for a more complete review of the grippers soon!)

Granite Ware Coffee Boiler

Simple, inexpensive, classic – the coffee boiler heats and dispenses water better than a regular pot (I never make coffee in them, but there;s alaways a need for hot water when you are cooking and cleaning up.Granite Ware 3-Quart Coffee Boiler at Amazon

Vacuum Insulated Coffee Press

Probably the best way to make the best camp coffee for a group of Scouters, stays warm for a good long time too!

EcoZoom Dura Wood Stove

High efficiency wood burning technologies significantly reduce both health and environmental impacts. One of the leading innovators in this work, Dr. Larry Winiarski, developed the Winiarski Rocket Stove. The rocket stove is designed to burn the gases released from a wood fire as completely as possible so less fuel is required.

The EcoZoom Dura weighs 11 pounds and packs very neatly into a standard five gallon plastic bucket. I’ve had people ask me if it would be possible to build a similar stove. There are a number of tutorials and plans out there and I considered doing this myself but decided that by the time I did we’d have spent nearly the cost of a manufactured stove on the materials required and still wouldn’t duplicate the durability or features of the EcoZoom stoves.

Solo Wood Stove

The double-walled Solo Stove is a “natural convection inverted down gas gasifer”. Air intake holes channel air to the bottom of the fire and direct warm air up between the walls creating a burst of preheated oxygen causing a secondary combustion of the gases (smoke) given off by the burning wood.

Follow that?

What it means is the stove turns the wood and gasses given off by the wood into a strong, concentrated, efficient flame that burns like a blowtorch! A generous handful of smallish sticks will boil 32 ounces of water in less than fifteen minutes

Constructed of stainless steel and Nichrome wire the Solo Stove measures a compact 5.7 x 4.25 inches weighs only 9 ounces. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to light and use. A few small (pencil lead sized) twigs and small sticks will fire up a pot of boiling water in minutes Very few embers and ashes are left and the stove cools off quickly.

Cast Iorn Scrubber

When you first see the cast iron scrubber you’ll probably say the same thing I did; “it’s too expensive!” But the next time you have a crusty dutch oven to clean you’ll agree that it’s worth every penny.

Put some water in the oven while it’s still warm, and scrub away. The chain mail design won’t scratch, and is very effective at lifting tough baked-on residue. No soap needed, cooked-on crud will clean up easily and you’l have a clean dutch oven pretty fast without worrying about damaging the seasoning.

About Clarke Green

Clarke has worked with thousands of Scouts and Scouters as a director at his local Scout Camp (Camp Horseshoe), and as a Scoutmaster for 30 years. He is the recipient of a number of awards recognizing his service to Scouting, including the B.S.A.’s Silver Beaver, District Award of Merit, and is a Vigil Honor member of Octoraro Lodge 22. He is author of the blog and podcast at Scoutmastercg.com, The Scouting Journey, and Thoughts on Scouting. An avid outdoorsman and amateur actor, he lives in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania with his wife Teddi.

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